CONTROLS Synonyms: 196 Similar and Opposite Words

controls 1 of 2

noun

plural of control

as in controllers

a mechanism for adjusting the operation of a device, machine, or system the controls for the player are well marked

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Relevance

as in hands

the ability to direct the course of something after the tail fell off, the plane went out of the pilot's control firefighters keeping control of the blaze

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in operations

the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something control of manufacturing operations was given to a new manager with fresh ideas

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as in powers

the right or means to command or control others teachers are responsible for the students under their control

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controls

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of control

as in regulates

to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) you must learn to control your temper

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as in contains

to gain emotional or mental control of he controlled himself only with the greatest difficulty in the face of his opponent's insulting remarks

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as in rules

to exercise authority or power over circumstances often control the choices we make in life

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as in operates

to look after and make decisions about during the period that she controlled the company it was highly profitable

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of controls

Noun

For households, parental controls allow restricting access to inappropriate and adult content. — Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2026 Potential support could cover siting, licensing, fabrication, safety-basis development, project controls and deployment planning for NANO Nuclear’s KRONOS MMR Energy System and portable microreactor designs. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026 Cohere received an influx of new customer inquiries after the White House in June put export controls on Anthropic’s advanced AI models. — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026 Core violations include items that usually relate to general sanitation, operational controls, equipment design or general maintenance. — Arkansas Online, 4 Sep. 2026 The ruling, the first of its kind under Hong Kong’s Societies Ordinance, has raised alarms over freedom of association as authorities continue tightening controls after the 2019 democracy protests. — Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 While safety experts say the companies’ new controls and pauses are a welcome change, some say there’s still more needed. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026 Age verifications and parental controls come with notorious loopholes. — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026 Recent incidents, like OpenAI's models bypassing controls and Anthropic's models accessing real systems, underscore this threat. — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Verb

Esposito controls a tough pass well, buys time and backheels it to Federico Dimarco, who shoots wide. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz Before the war, ships under any country’s banner could freely transit the Strait of Hormuz to collect and deliver goods to and from the Middle East. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026 Congress controls many of Washington’s local affairs Washington has long been at the whim of the federal government. — Gary Fields, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026 Musk plans to integrate Cybercabs, which lack manual controls so passengers could take over in an emergency, into the company's existing cab service that up to now uses just normal Tesla vehicle. — ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026 Oracle was co-founded by Larry Ellison, whose son David Ellison controls Paramount Skydance. — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026 Trust improves when technology controls not just what is collected but who can see it, why and for how long. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026 Listing a token requires continuous, audited disclosure of who controls the supply and how the asset actually works. — Michael Faulkender, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2026 Hezbollah is the terrorist group that controls much of Lebanon, which borders Israel. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 31 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for controls

Noun

Finally, downstream controllers convert those predictions into hardware commands, such as firing a heating beam.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
The plane had 14 people onboard, the pilot relayed to controllers, and enough fuel to fly for two-and-a-half more hours.

— Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of controllers

Noun

Now, to the handwashing shortcomings, such as a cashier handling customer’s payment, then preparing drinks and serving plates of food to customers without washing hands (cash and payment cards tend to be germ motherships).

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
But as the years passed and the historic farm in Gladstone underwent expansions and ownership changes, eventually landing in the hands of the city, it was transformed into a historical landmark and museum.

— Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of hands

Noun

Brian Duker was hired as defensive coordinator and will assist Glenn with game planning and day-to-day operations.

— Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
Overseeing citywide operations is the ordinary business of government, not Building Code enforcement.

— Fabiola Stuyvesant, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of operations

Noun

Then there are the tensions between small island nations who make up the majority of the Forum and its two largest powers and biggest donors, Australia and New Zealand, about their climate efforts.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
Between the huge practical sets and stunts, the matte paintings and in-camera trickery, the on-location filming, and a leading man at the height of his movie star powers, Spielberg and his team performed the filmmaking equivalent of wizardry.

— Frank DeRuggiero, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of powers

Verb

Despite the close parallels to placing a bet on the game in Las Vegas, prediction markets have fallen under the purview of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the same federal agency that regulates oil futures and credit default swaps.

— Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
But at the moment, the CFTC — which regulates derivatives contracts — currently only has one, chairman Michael Selig.

— Davis Giangiulio,Justin Papp, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of regulates

Verb

Its 30% Saccharomyces yeast ferment contains 3% N-acetylglucosamine, an amino sugar that gently encourages surface exfoliation without relying on AHAs or BHAs, helping skin look smoother and more even with less potential for irritation.

— Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 6 Sep. 2026
Natto contains probiotics and prebiotics which can help support the gut microbiome and digestion.

— Michiko Tomioka, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of contains

Verb

And rules about how the government may enforce such a law must be very clear, and have to be presented in a precise way to states, agencies or others before they can be accused of any violations.

— Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026
To the extent these independent contentions were intended to imply that NBA rules permit teams, at the request of players, to initiate off-court income opportunities for players, that implication is incorrect.

— John Hollinger, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of rules

Verb

Reportedly, this system operates through a two-way connection, linking real-time image recognition directly with surgical manipulation.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
SpaceX already operates its Starbase spaceport in rural Texas, as well as launchpads at government spaceports on the coasts of California and Florida.

— Elizabeth Howell, Scientific American, 7 Sep. 2026